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Forum: Photographic Technique
07-27-2018, 08:30 AM
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The above video is rather a dangerous exercise, and there have been 1 too many reports of people being mauled by lions. It is wise to stick to a secure vehicle though that my not be so applicable to Elephants.
I'll contribute to this with one thought and that is to consider doing your own driving. It gives you much more flexibility, though of course (for Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti) you will need to have experience driving a 4X4. You will not need a tripod or monopod, and a bean bag will suffice or if you can manage it, a window mounted tripod or some such gadget.
I have not been on a Safari myself, and my experience is confined to the Game Reserves of South Africa, Kruger Park, Addo Elephant National Park, Pilansberg National Park and I have been once to Hluhluwe-Umfolozi. In the over 30 years of visiting these Game Reserves, I have had quite a bit of interaction with Safari operators, with more than one being too obnoxious for words. There are of course advantages to this route, the major one being that they can virtually guarantee you sighting of the big 5, as they (usually) work out an animal's territory and can usually find them in a very short time. BUT, and it is a big but, they are often more restrictive in movements, time and space. And as Skodadriver said, there are a host of smaller animals that are well worth a sighting, Safari operators think that everyone wants to see the big 5.
I have done some night drives on these open vehicles, and a tripod/monopod is quite useless, and a bean bag is much more suitable. That is if you get enough time to take a decent shot. In that regard the SR is a boon!
Doing a self drive option has more advantages imho, not least of which can be unique sightings, or spending more time at a sighting.
Regrettably, there are no companies that hire Pentax Lenses, only Nikon and Canon in South Africa. So the idea of renting a big lens in SA is not an option, and I dare say, the same applies to Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti, so my suggestion would be minimum a 300mm lens with a x1.4 or x2 teleconverter. That is if you are restricted with weight issues when travelling and cannot bring with you a 500mm or longer lens. This really is ideal. Being in my own car and country, I can afford the luxury of taking all my kit with me.
Explore the option of doing a self drive, which I know is possible in Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti.
My two cents worth- That is in South African Currency, which does not even come close to being an America 1 cent :)
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